News
March 31, 2004

Clean Air Fair touts alt-fuel vehicles
By Mary Vandeveire
Arizona Daily Star

Tucsonans who want to invest less money in gasoline and more care in the environment will find ideas among alternative fuel vehicles on display Friday.
 
The Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day Odyssey at Downtown’s El Presidio Park is geared toward getting people to think of alternatives to strictly gasoline-powered engines when they choose cars to drive.
 
A car powered by compressed natural gas will be available for test drives. Cars to be featured include a race car fueled with ethanol, a hybrid electric Toyota Prius, and cars fueled with biodiesel and propane.
 
“These fuels are available. They are much better for the environment, and in most cases, they are much less expensive than filling up with petro fuels. And when you use these fuels, you’re keeping money in the U.S. because they’re domestically produced,” said Colleen Crowninshield, coordinator for the Tucson Regional Clean Cities Coalition.
 
The use of so-called clean-fuels is a solution to growing dependence on imported oil, according to Clean Cities. The organization reports that vehicular emissions produce about 70 percent of Tucson's air pollution. The organization is promoting the use of alternative fuels as a solution to that problem.
 
Those attending the Odyssey can learn where clean fuel stations are located in Tucson and get information about ways to reduce fuel costs and air pollution.
 
Tucsonans driving alt-fuel vehicles said their choices involved extra money at the time of purchase or now require extra time to find fueling stations in some areas, but they’re worth it.
 
“We need to do something from a clean-air standpoint,” said Ron Ballard, who runs compressed natural gas in his Ford F-150 truck. There is one compressed natural gas fueling station in Tucson, and it's at Tucson International Airport, Ballard said, adding that when he takes trips out of state, he fuels up whenever he sees a station.
 
“It's harder to find them, but I do,” he said.
 
Ballard said he believes in finding alternatives to petroleum fuels.
 
“I just believe in trying to get away from petroleum. I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
 
Ballard said Ford was offering a rebate when he bought his truck, so the price was the same as what he would have paid for a truck that wasn’t equipped to run compressed natural gas. He gets about 17 miles per gallon on the natural gas, which costs him from $1.20 to $1.50 a gallon. Compressed-natural-gas produces the fewest emissions of any motor fuel, according to Oklahoma Natural Gas.
 
Katharine Kent, president of The Solar Store, said her hybrid electric Toyota Prius cost about $2,000 to $3,000 more than a regular sedan. The car has a gas engine and an electric motor, which is recharged as the car brakes and by the engine. By shifting power from the gas engine to the electric motor to start acceleration and while coasting, the car uses less gas. Kent said she gets 47 miles per gallon.
 
“It just makes a lot of sense,”said Kent, who drives about 20,000 miles a year, a lot of it for her business. She added that she weighed the benefits of driving a cleaner burning car against the higher upfront costs.
 
“How many pounds of carbon dioxide are we not putting in the area? How many pounds of pollutants are we not releasing?” she said. “I believe it’s a cost-effective solution.”